Your generator becomes a lifesaver when the electricity goes out. However, when you notice it’s overheating, it’s a cause for alarm because it may be a minor issue or a serious problem. By understanding the causes and how to prevent them, you can rest assured your generator is there when you need it.
Causes of Your Generator Overheating
The severity of generator problems varies and includes everything from a clogged filter to exhaust blockage to an electrical malfunction.
Clogged or Dirty Filter
The air filter prevents dirt from entering the generator’s engine, ensuring optimal efficiency. When your air filter is partially or fully clogged, the air can’t enter the engine easily or at all, which causes an inefficient combustion process. As a result, the engine will run at a hotter temperature.
Exhaust Blockage
After combustion, the exhaust system in a generator must remove the hot gases from the engine to prevent it from overheating. If the exhaust can’t release this gas, it becomes trapped in the engine, causing it to overheat.
Electrical Malfunction
The electricity that your generator produces will flow through its electrical system. If any wires are corroded or damaged, their electrical resistance increases, causing them to overheat along with nearby components.
Your overheating generator could have a short circuit, which occurs when electricity flows outside its usual path. In many cases, it’ll travel directly from a live wire to the ground, which can trigger a fire nearly immediately.
Mechanical Problems
The engine’s components, such as the pistons and bearings, will wear out over time. They’ll then rub against one another as the engine runs. In return, the friction will produce heat.
How to Prevent Your Generator from Overheating
If you want to keep your generator functioning and prevent overheating, it takes some routine maintenance.
For one, change the filter regularly, especially if you’re running it in dirty or dusty locations. As a general rule, you need to change the oil in a standby generator after the first 5–25 hours of use. Then, you’ll want to change it every one to two years or between 100 and 200 hours of use.
Other maintenance tips include:
- Get routine servicing for your generator
- Inspect the wiring regularly
- Clean the fans frequently
- Check your spark plugs
- Avoid overloading the generator
Your generator will be there during the next storm, a vehicle accident involving a power pole, or a downed tree on a line. However, you must keep your generator in working order and take steps to prevent it from overheating.
Contact Assurance Power Systems, serving Delray Beach, FL, and the surrounding region, anytime you need routine generator servicing.
